


I Found

by unholywine



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff, M/M, PBExchangeFairyTale, Profound Bond Gift Exchange, Witch Castiel (Supernatural)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-27 02:09:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18294719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unholywine/pseuds/unholywine
Summary: On the day his new neighbor moves in, Dean finds a plant on the sidewalk in front of his house. Perhaps it’s generous to call it a plant: it’s small, and doesn’t seem like it has much of a life left without interference. He hesitates. Maybe the plant is his neighbor's. He should go ask.





	I Found

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thatpeculiarone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatpeculiarone/gifts).



> dedicated to the lovely jess :D
> 
> i hope you enjoy it!

On the day his new neighbor moves in, Dean finds a plant on the sidewalk in front of his house. Perhaps it’s generous to call it a plant: it’s small and doesn’t seem like it has much of a life left without interference. He hesitates. Gardening has never really been his strongest point -- Dean’s yard looks neat thanks to his proficiency with the lawn mower, but other than that, his skills are far to be found. Bending down, he scoops the plant into two hands, nudging the front door open with his shoulder as he goes. After putting the plant in a temporary pot, he washes his hands. Maybe the plant is his new neighbor’s. He should go ask. 

 

The front door is open when Dean makes his way over, so instead of ringing the doorbell, he raps on the door a few times and enters. It feels a little weird to make his way inside now that he doesn’t know the inhabitant, but the house is a literal mirror to Dean’s, and following the noise he finds a man in the kitchen. He’s on his knees, shoving pans into a cabinet, and Dean clears his throat. Somehow, the man hears him over the sound of metal against metal, and as soon as he turns his head, Dean finds he’s lost the ability to speak. The man is, simply put, gorgeous: he’s got sharp features and blue eyes that catch Dean’s gaze and maybe it’s just Dean’s head making things up, but it feels like the man can’t quite look away, either. The man gets up, and Dean’s mouth goes dry.

 

“Is, uh. This yours?” he manages to bring out, holding up the pot.

 

The man’s eyebrows furrow together for a moment, his eyes tearing away from Dean’s gaze (Dean feels like he can breathe again). 

 

“No,” he responds simply, and that’s that. Dean’s reason for visiting is gone. Dammit. (His voice, though. It’s lower than Dean had expected, and the sound sends chills down his spine. He would not mind hearing the man speak more often.)

 

“I’m Dean. The next door neighbor,” he offers, holding out his right hand to the other man. He shakes it firmly, and Dean’s hand aches ever so slightly when he pulls back. 

 

“Castiel.”

 

“I’ll get out of your hair,” Dean says, and before Castiel can open his mouth to say anything, Dean’s moved toward the door and left.

 

Goddamn. Of course, his new neighbor is hot as fuck. 

 

\--

 

Dean sees Castiel a lot after that. He seems to be an outdoorsy type because Dean can hear him around the yard a lot. Castiel also goes on runs, which is something Dean should’ve guessed the first time he lay eyes on those thighs. (God, he should not be thinking about his neighbor in that way.)

 

They haven’t spoken, though. Not since Dean barged into Castiel’s house, asked him about the plant, and then dodged. It’s not even like Dean doesn’t want to; it’s more that he honest to god does not have a reason to go over to the man’s house. 

 

Basically, it’s gone nothing at all like a fairytale meet-cute, and Dean’s life hasn’t changed at all now that he’s got a porn-worthy neighbor in the house next to his own. The only difference is the plant that is now sitting comfortably on his windowsill in front of his house, and even that hardly looks better than it did a week ago. Dean’s not great with plants and he knows it: the only plant he’s ever successfully managed to grow was a small one on a soaked paper towel in primary school. A week might be too little of a timeframe to give the plant to miraculously come back to life, but Dean’s no expert. 

 

Maybe Castiel is. Dean doesn’t know much about him, obviously, but Dean wouldn’t be surprised if he’s got a full-on garden going by now, what with all the time he spends in there. It’s spring -- that’s a good season for it, right? (And maybe, just maybe, Dean’s been looking for an excuse to visit the guy, anyway.)

 

With the potted plant in hand, Dean finds himself in front of a closed door instead of an open one. He reaches out to press the doorbell, hears the classic chime, and seconds later, the door opens.

 

Castiel appears, clad in jeans and a white button-down that is buttoned askew and undone a little too far down. Dean feels his throat tighten immediately. He raises a hand in greeting to make up for the lack of words coming from his lips, because goddamn. Looking as messy as he does (has Dean mentioned the bedhead?), he really has no right to be fucking with Dean in this way.

 

“Hello, Dean,” Castiel greets, and Dean is speechless again.

 

It takes him a moment before he manages to bring out a “Hi,” after which he miraculously regathers himself and holds up the plant. “I know I might be bothering you, but I really got no idea what to do to fix this one.”

 

Castiel squints for a moment, then pulls the door open further and walks in. Dean follows until they reach the kitchen, where he sets the pot down on the counter. Castiel leaves the kitchen.

 

Dean takes the opportunity to look around. It’s obviously a new house: there’s a lot of unpacked boxes and few personal items scattered around. There’s an awful lot of herbs and stones compared to the number of photos -- there seem to be none at all. Maybe they’re just in an unopened box.

 

Castiel comes back a few minutes later, holding a mortar and pestle. He sets them down on the kitchen counter, gently cuts off some leaves and twigs from the plants he owns, adds one small purple gemstone, and crushes them together until there’s not much left. 

 

Dean watches. 

 

Castiel takes the new mixture and mixes it into the soil of Dean’s old plant, then pushes it back toward him, looking up. “There. It should improve rapidly now. Make sure to water it every day, and make sure it gets sun in the mornings.”

 

Dean huffs out a laugh. “Dude, are you a witch or something?”

 

Castiel immediately looks like he’s unsure what to do with himself. He looks away, and Dean has to resist reaching out to cup his jaw and make him face him. (So what, he’s only interacted with him twice?)

 

That’s all Dean gets for an answer. 

 

..huh.

 

His neighbor is a witch? That’s.. kinda cool.

 

“Because it would be fucking cool if you were,” Dean decides to add. It has the desired effect: Castiel’s head snaps back around and he meets Dean’s gaze. Dean grins, and Castiel’s lips twitch. (God, he’d be gorgeous if he smiled wide. Dean’s determined to make him, at some point.)

 

\--

 

Castiel was right: the day after, the plant already looks way better. Green is coming back into its leaves. Dean officially owes Castiel his life.

 

\--

 

The plant starts showing flowers on the day Dean finally gets himself to ask Cas out. It fully blossoms on the day they go on said date (the day they first kiss), and Dean’s pretty sure he’s blooming right along with it.

**Author's Note:**

> Join us in the  Profound Bond Discord!


End file.
